Only U.S. citizens would be eligible for college scholarships under House proposals

A package of bills would limit scholarships to Michigan schools and state loans to U.S. citizens.

Author:
Kathleen Gray, Detroit Free Press , WZZM

Published:
7:49 AM EDT July 18, 2017

Updated:
7:49 AM EDT July 18, 2017

Only U.S. citizens could receive a variety of scholarships to colleges and universities under a package of bills introduced in the Michigan Legislature last week.

In addition, only U.S. citizens or valid permanent residents could receive loans from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority under a separate bill.

The bills dovetail with other immigration-related bills sponsored by Republicans, including prohibiting cities, townships, villages and counties from enacting laws that limit coordination and cooperation between federal officials and any municipal employee and empowering a community’s residents to file a complaint in court or with the State Attorney General’s Office to make sure the town follows the state law.

Those two bills have passed out of the House Local Government Committee and are awaiting action in the full House of Representatives.

Democrats also have introduced immigrant-related bills, including requiring the state to issue undocumented immigrants driver's licenses or state identification cards, universities to provide in-state tuition and prohibiting law enforcement from collecting immigration status on people they stop. None of those bills has gotten a hearing.